Magic Society
The Most Ancient and Noble Society of High Sorcery, or Magic Society as it is more commonly known, is the body which largely oversees the magical world in the Known Universe. It is involved in the study and education of magic, as well as the licensing of mages and policing of their activities to prevent them from running afoul of other powers. Today one of the most important tasks of the Magic Society is to police itself so as to not draw any undo scrutiny from outsiders. Because of their time being persecuted before the Cataclysm, the Magic Society works to maintain the good will they've built up since then, and has been known to go to great lengths to prevent the Watchers and SENTINEL from sticking their noses into the magical world. 'History' The Society was founded by a lesser known Dragon God known as Caster. Unlike the other Gods who were very confident in their own power, Caster was fascinated by Magic and devoted herself to its study. As mortals began spreading throughout the Universe, she began teaching it to them as well. She gathered many disciples who became the first wizards and witches. These wizards would eventually go on to develop their own ideas about magic and attract followers of their own, creating the first Magic Orders. Sometimes these Orders would clash with eachother, so Caster set up the Magic Society which would be a safe haven for the development of all magic. She created the Towers of High Sorcery which would be neutral ground for all mages and allow them to come together to celebrate and develop their craft. Outside the walls of the towers though, the Magic Orders would be subject to the whims of the rest of the Universe. During the Heroic Age, Wizards and the Magic Society were looked upon with fear and suspicion by most of the populace. This was generally fostered by the Holy Order, who considered mages to be loose cannons and even the other Gods themselves who disapproved of "Caster's Hobby." After the Cataclysm, the Magic Society turned out to be considered the guardians of the knowledge lost when the Gods fell and managed to achieve a respectability that had eluded them earlier. Their dedication to perserving knowledge was such that when the Watchers were forming the All Union, they were recognized by them and offered a place in the new federation. 'Towers of High Sorcery' The Council maintains numerous Towers of High Sorcery scattered across the Universe, with the primary one being in the All Union's capital of Brunent. All Towers of High Sorcery are actually the same tower, just manifesting in different places in different forms. 'Structure' High Council The Magic Society is overseen by a High Council of Elders, who are generally regarded as the 7 most senior, accomplished and respected wizards from across the Universe. The High Council weilds supreme authority in the Magic World. It licenses and oversees all legal Magic Orders, keeping them in check and ensuring all obey the rules. The Council is responsible for the events caused by Mages, and possesses the right to punish Mages who break the law. They are responsible for the collection of Magical artifacts which could potentially cause large-scale damage and the careful control of who has access to these. The Chairman of the Magic Council has a seat on the Inner Circle of the All Union. Despite this, members of the Council tend to be distrusting of the Watchers. Council members are drawn from all over the magic world, and can be recognized by their dark blue coats which bear a white pentagram on the back. Current Members Timon Bolt: Current Chairman of the High Council, Bolt reluctantly took the position after it was turned down by Oberlin Dynamikos. He is a master of all forms of Black Magic. Oberlin Aberforth Dynamikos: '''A former Grand Master and a man widely regarded as the most powerful and respected Wizard alive, Dynamikos was once famous as the Blue Wanderer. He was sought for a position on the Magic Council for years but always turned them down, but an event in his past spurred him to finally take the position. He was nominated for the position of Council Chairman, but declined it saying it was more power than he wanted or needed. Of all the Wizards on the High Council, Dynamikos has easily the most rounded knowledge of magic. '''Red Sandra: A witch with a bombshell figure and a complete mastery of the Summoning Magic, Sandra is one of the most famous mages in the Universe. She is said to be much older than she appears and is using magic to maintain her youthful form. Laramus Urch: A member of the Kinney race, Urch is a Necromancer. Victrola Seether: Seether is a Balt witch known who despite her fearsome appearance is extremely kind. She is surprisingly soft spoken and is a master of White Magic. Braska: By far the youngest member of the Council, Braska is regarded as a magical prodigy with wisdom well beyond his years. Feefi Fofum: An imp-ish member of the Kemlin race, Master Fofum is a powerful wizard known for his perverted tendencies. He is especially skilled at Light Magic and is regarded as one of the Council's most powerful members. Orders The Magic World is divided into a number of different organizations known as Orders which are dedicated to either a particular area of study or a set of ideals. Some Orders have histories dating back eons and are said to be founded by the first disciples of Caster herself. Order Masters Order Masters are the heads of the Orders and other organizations dedicated to the study of magic. Within their Orders, they are the leaders and highest authority, having virtually complete authority over their subordinates, and can thus dictate their actions. Order Masters are also tasked with smoothing relationships between Orders in every province, something achieved through the various provincial leagues of Masters, gathering from time to time in regular meetings, where each Master reports about his Order. The only ones above Masters within the Magical hierarchy are members of the High Council, which supervises all Orders. Grand Masters Another duty of the Magic Council is the recognition of people who have reached the pinnacle of magical power, to whom they bestow the title of Grand Master. The title of Grand Master grants a mage an almost diplomatic immunity throughout the magical world, but it also renders them at the service of the Council during times of great crisis. Because of the wide powers of the title and the difficulty in achieving the prowess necessary for its granting, there are never more than 9 Grand Masters at a time. If a Grand Master joins the High Council he is required to give up the title. Current Grand Masters Thuro Al'Baster: Infamous as a member of the Magnificent 7, Thuro has managed to balance Black and White magic in ways no one before him has. Simon Darkmage: Darkmage is a magical being created by a tribe of wizards as their “ultimate being.” Born with golden skin and white hair, Darkmage was a physically perfect being with unrivaled magical ability. It so happened that Darkmage was uninterested in the schemes for which the wizards intended to use him and he killed them. Seizing control of their armies, he set out to conquer the planet Nihil just to prove he could. In the final battle he almost succeeded in achieving victory, but was lost and was sealed away. 50 years later his rest was disturbed and blah blah blah… ''Awoken into his new world, he discovered that it was under the control of a tyrannical cult called the Church of Light. The Church was lead by a psychotic dictator by the name of Argus, or as he was called among the populace, the Mad Prophet. Much to Darkmage’s amusement, Argus had been one of his generals when he had set out on his own mission of conquest. Seeing in the Church the same leanings as the wizards who created him, Darkmage decided to help the planet’s populace overthrow the cult. In doing so he gained many allies, including his closest friend and on/off lover Delilah. With Delilah and a former Church Paladin called Silva at his side, Darkmage returned to his lifestyle of adventuring and the three had many more adventures across the Galaxy. In time however, Silva came to resent always being in Darkmage’s shadow and he assassinated him by ripping out his heart. Silva returned to Ascalon and rebuilt the Church, this time into a far worse threat than it had ever been before. Using the magics he had learned from his time with Darkmage he created a machine with which to threaten the entire Galaxy. Fortunately, Darkmage had the ability to magically resurrect himself and he recovered from his wounds. Darkmage and Delilah returned to stop him, and this time Darkmage defeated Silva in single combat. Unsure of what to do next, he and Delilah set out on a journey across the Universe. He made a name for himself, and was eventually awarded the status of Grand Master by the Magic High Council. What makes Darkmage the most dangerous is his keen mind and wild intellect. He is able to quickly size up situations and come up with unpredictable solutions, which make him a formidable opponent. '''Renegade Wizards' Arcane spellcasters who do not follow the tenets of the Magic Society are branded renegades. Unless they are disturbing the peace they are generally left alone, but once the Magic Society becomes aware of them it tries to bring them into the fold in order to avoid them getting out of control and requiring SENTINEL to step in.